Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Nikon D3, Nikon D2Xs, Canon EOS 1D Mark III

Since Kodak had to strike the sails with the DCS models in the fight for the favor of the buyers, Canon and Nikon deliver a head-to-head race in the hotly contested profile. And in spite of many differences in detail, the flagship of the two manufacturers show characteristic similarities.


This includes a massive magnesium housing, sealed against splashing water, without a built-in pop-up flash, which might prove to be a mechanical weak point. The lower part of the housing is formed into a handle that houses the battery and provides additional controls to facilitate high-resolution recording. Also typical: a narrow LC display below the TFT monitor, in addition to the larger LC display on the top of the camera, to display exposure data comprehensively. The optical viewfinder of a professional SLR is expected to display the viewfinder image as large as possible and 100% of the later image. The camera shutter is an extremely high load carrying capacity, up to 300 000 possible releases, for example, Nikon certifies the closure of a Kevlar / carbon fiber composite material of the D3. In addition, the professional wants to have the option to send image data wirelessly via an optional W-LAN adapter.


New in some professional models is the Live View function, the possibility to use the TFT monitor as a viewfinder. Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (8200 Euro) and Nikon D3 (4900 Euro), the latest top models from the two manufacturers, are another common feature: they record images with a CMOS in the so - called full format Film film. However, Canon packs 21 million pixels on this sensor surface, while Nikon is satisfied with 12 million pixels, which are larger and more sensitive and allow ISO values ​​up to 25_600. The Nikon D2Xs (4400 euros), which is sold out with the release of the D3 and no longer produced, uses an image sensor in the APS-C / DX format (23.6_x_15.6 mm) with 12 million pixels. The Canon 1D Mark III: With its 28.1_x_18.7 mm CMOS (image angle factor 1.3), 10 million pixels and up to 10 images per second, it remains a fast and inexpensive alternative to the pixel-based 1Ds - straight For reportage photographers.